Zaheera's mother wants family to reunite, start life afresh

Mumbai, June 20 (UNI) Sehrunissa Sheikh, mother of Best Bakery case prime witness and perjury accused Zaheera Sheikh, wants her family to reunite and start life anew, putting behind the ''bitter past and irreparable personal losses''.

Uncertain of the future, a dejected Sehrunissa said she had felt utter helplessness over the turn of events following the Best Bakery case trial.

However, amid the legal tangles and personal turmoil, she is waiting for the cases to be over. ''I want my family to be reunited to start life afresh, leaving behind the bitter past as an unforgettable phase.'' Talking to UNI on a range of issues, in the presence of her counsel Umesh Deshpande, Sehrunissa recalled ''old days'' and said, ''I spent 16 years in Vadodara. We were a peaceful family toiling hard for our bread and butter, when the Best Bakery disaster struck. Before that we never had problems with anybody, or for that matter even with our neighbours.'' A widow and mother of five children, she recalled losing her daughter Sabirabanu in the bakery tragedy, and recently her eldest son, Nafitullah, who died of fever.

Sehrunissa and her surviving three children - Sahirabanu, Zaheera and Nasibullah-are now embroiled in a legal battle for the last five years.

Remembering the Best Bakery incident, she said, ''After the bakery was torched, we were all admitted to hospital and neither of us knew what struck us. Everything happened so fast that there was no time for a compliant.'' Sehrunissa still believes that Zaheera never lodged any complaint.

On the contrary, she alleges that her daughter was ''trapped'' into making statements by her neighbours, which, according to her, ''later took the shape of a complaint''.

The initial media attention followed by the quick investigation in the bakery case added to the confusion, she claimed. ''We were not in favour of any case and didn't understand all this,'' she asserted.

She further alleged that the entire legal process got complicated after Zaheera was taken to Mumbai by social activist Teesta Setalvad.

''Right from the onset, people with vested interests misguided and pushed us into the pit of cases. We had no interest in pursuing anything, nor did we expect the legal process to take so long, putting us into a bind,'' she regretted.

On the charges of accepting money, Sehrunissa quipped, ''But where is the money? Regular raids were conducted, bank accounts sealed, then where is the money and evidence of transaction?'' She admitted that the allegations of taking money followed by retrial have badly hit the family's image. ''Nobody is ready to associate with us, we have been excommunicated and there is no work for us anywhere,'' she said.

She is also worried about the marriage prospects of Zaheera and Nasibullah. ''Nobody is willing to accept my children in marriage.'' UNI GVS GK RR PM1855